Pentagon revises bad conduct waiver process for recruits

Wednesday 02nd July, 10:10 AM JST

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14 Comments

adaydream at 10:47 AM JST - 2nd July

Do away with volunteering and reinstate the draft.

You'll get numbers required much easier.

Everybody will get a fair share to show their patriotism for their country.

You can do away with the waiver system, because there will be enough draftees and volunteers that you never have to process another waiver. < :-)
skipthesong at 10:54 AM JST - 2nd July

aday: Do away with volunteering and reinstate the draft."

You know, I did four years in the army. I know a lot who have never been in. I recommend anyone who does not know what they are going to do to join up, its not as long as it seems. Its a whole lot better than hanging out and getting high.

I heard from a lot of people from places that I have been to that they are happy their country has a sort of mandatory service, it does help with living community wise.

Bring back the draft, if in college, go reserves. That is not a bad idea and I do believe it would keep young offender numbers down.
Zen_Builder at 11:00 AM JST - 2nd July

I am from a country that has compulsory service and I think it is a good thing.

For once I agree with skip. Also many join for 2~3yrs to get additional training and experience prior to entering the work-force.

Granted our service is only 8 month and very little change of us going to war but the experience helps a lot, IMHO.
TJrandom at 11:06 AM JST - 2nd July

If having been arrested would eliminate you from a draft, I suspect that the arrest rate would skyrocket.

When the draft existed, it didn’t matter what you had done – you were still drafted. Then depending upon the offence, you could be booted out as early as during the initial training period.

I am surprised that 50% of volunteers need waivers, as 50% of the population surely has never been arrested? The military must be quite low on the list of career choices, and thus bottom feeding.
adaydream at 12:16 PM JST - 2nd July

TJrandom - I don't recal anybody getting arrested to avoid the draft. There were cowards who receiced 4 and 5 deferments, but I don't recal a single arrest.

I'm not going to say that there haven't been a few who were led to commit a crime to get out of the draft. Just never heard of them.

There were the draft dodgers. The crime that they committed was to run to Canada to avoid the draft. < :-)
USNinJapan2 at 12:16 PM JST - 2nd July

TJrandom

I am surprised that 50% of volunteers need waivers, as 50% of the population surely has never been arrested?

No, not arrested. Go back and reread the article. A recruit needs a waiver if he admits to having done something in the past for which the Marine Corps requires a waiver. He doesn't have to have been arrested or convicted to need a waiver. For example, if a potential recruit honestly admits that he has ever smoked marijuana, even once, he will need a waiver to join. Judging by the comments and claims I've read in other drug-related threads here at JT, most posters here wouldn't be able to join the US military without a getting a waiver. Now that really would be bottom feeding... : )
SuperLib at 01:03 PM JST - 2nd July

Um, so I'd need a waiver to join the military? heh...didn't think it was like that. Maybe I've been reading too much JT chatter where people describe recruits as criminals or bottom of the barrel of society. I didn't realize that I also fall into that category. ;)

It reminds me of a story that LA Times did about "criminal" athletes at USC and UCLA. The numbers looked pretty astounding until you read further down in the article to learn that most of the "criminals" were people who were cited for traffic offenses. They even made the claim that one guy currently had a warrant out for his arrest. Later in the article they mentioned that it was due to an unpaid parking ticket.

It's pretty astounding that with all of the media attention of "reduced standards" and "waivers" we're only now seeing what those waivers are needed for. The media got some pretty good mileage out of their creative vocabulary. Same with suicides...they're only now starting to include information that the suicide rate for soldiers is actually lower than the general population. Before they'd just report the increase and leave the reader with the assumption that it must be higher than the average Joe.
TJrandom at 01:19 PM JST - 2nd July

adaydream and USNinJapan2 - thanks for the corrections... While I posted I was listening to Arlo Guthry's Alice's Restaurant... da da da Have ya ever been arrested? :-)

But just to stand up for the good character of JT posters here - I for one, could pass without needing to request a waiver. So I am still a bit surprised at such a high percentage
Taka313 at 06:37 PM JST - 2nd July

Superlib and TJrandom, Yeah, I sat on the "group W bench" myself. It wasn't a big deal.

Actually, I also needed a waiver because I participated in a mock UN meeting in Winnipeg, Manitoba and represented Algeria (the countries were assigned to us). Because I had no idea what Algeria was about, I wrote to their embassy 3 or 4 times. So I needed one for that as well. It came back to haunt me when it came time for me to get a top-secret clearance also.
There's a lesson for the kids out there: don't do too good in Civics class. ;-)

Taka
Sarge at 10:19 PM JST - 2nd July

"It's a whole lot better than hanging out and getting high"

Yeah, it's not just a job, it's an adventure! Just ask Top-Secret Taka!
SuperLib at 10:35 PM JST - 2nd July

Dang, is anyone capable of joining without a waiver? heh
DXXJP at 04:41 AM JST - 3rd July

Back in the day it was

" Join the military, travel to far exotic places, meet new, and interesting people.......

And kill them
Sarge at 09:13 AM JST - 3rd July

DXXJP - "Back in the day it was "Join the military, travel to far exotic places, meet new, and interesting people... And kill them"

Typical liberal view of our military, who make it possible for people like DXXJP to travel to far exotic places and meet new and interesting people.
adaydream at 12:58 PM JST - 3rd July

Sarge - "Typical liberal view of our military"

The military has used "Join the military, travel to far exotic places" as a means for recruiting for decades.

If we went back to the draft, hokie liberal advertizing gimmicks wouldn't be needed. Maybe if not only the poor and waivered enlisted and the rich did their fair share, then these liberal enticements wouldn't be needed.

So what got you in the military Sarge? Sure wasn't some liberal enticements weren't needed. < :-)